''It is not easy for this man to raise the white flag,'' he said, referring to Colonel Gaddafi. ''His roots are deep in the earth".

REBELS in eastern Libya, heartened by Western air support, are now planning advances towards the capital Tripoli. After regaining control of the crossroads city of Ajdabiya, rebel fighters claimed to have retaken the oil port of Brega yesterday.
Next on their list is Ras Lanuf, another oil port further west, and after that Muammar Gaddafi's home city of Sirt, a heavily built-up urban centre that has benefited significantly in recent years from a state-sponsored building program.
''The people of Sirt have already risen up against Gaddafi,'' said rebel spokesman Mustafa Gheriani. ''Now it's just a matter of defeating Gaddafi's forces there. ''To push Gaddafi from Sirt would be a real turning point. After that the gate is open to Misrata, and then all the way to Tripoli.''
Hundreds of opposition fighters streamed in to Ajdabiya on Saturday, honking their car horns, shooting weapons into the air and waving their tricoloured flags in celebration.
''We owe the West much. They saved many thousands of people,'' said Muhammad Fergani, a safety specialist at an oil company who drove with a Kalashnikov rifle to the front.
''It is not easy for this man to raise the white flag,'' he said, referring to Colonel Gaddafi. ''His roots are deep in the earth.''

- more http://www.smh.com.au/world/rebels-moving-towards-dictators-heartland-20110327-1cbwf.html